1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shuttleless loom for weaving a narrow fabric using more than one weft yarn and having a knitted selvedge formed of one weft yarn only.
2. Prior Art
British Pat. No. 1,460,619 published Jan. 6, 1977 discloses a shuttleless loom of the type described which comprises a pair of juxtaposed upper and lower weft inserters reciprocable in unision through their respective sheds to carry loops of weft yarns across the width of their sheds, and a selvedge-forming latch needle arranged alongside of the sheds for reciprocating movement through a loop of the weft yarn carried by the upper weft inserter. A weft diverter or lifter is positioned between the upper and lower weft inserters and is operated in timed relation with the weft inserters and the selvedge-foaming latch needle for moving the weft yarn carried by the lower weft inserter into a position in which it can be received or picked up by the latch needle, to thereby allow the latch needle to produce a knitted selvedge of the one weft yarn only. The diverter, however, requires a separate and complicated driving mechanism. Moreover, the diverter imposes excessive degree of tension on the weft yarn being lifted up, with the result that the structure of a fabric being woven tends to be uneven, or the lifted weft yarn is liable to be damaged or sometime broken. The diverter while being rapidly moved up and down tends to miss the weft yarn as it is supplied by the weft inserter so as to picked up by the selvedge-forming needle.